Surreal Fate :: Illusions of Love
by dead marionette
Summary: His love for his king is selfish, pure and true. Jealousy always shows its ugly head whenever and wherever. But a few words from Yuuri brought his world crashing down and he breaks the engagement. That was what Yuuri really wanted, wasn't it?
1. Destiny Disrupted

**This is my very first time writing a yaoi story (boy-boy) but I just can't help it! I just love the Yuuram pairing! **

* * *

It was yet again another ball. And another night watching him dancing with the women attending. He knew that it was another royal duty of his to dance with them, but he, as always, had not been able to suppress the jealousy and anger that threatened to burst out. But surprisingly though, he still managed to control them and watched as his fiancé danced with one of the ladies. Enviously, he watched them twirled around and wished that it could have been him instead. But, he turned around and listened to some of the men talking.

Soon after, he realised that the music had died down and the people there were just chatting with one another. Realising how late it was, he began to search for his daughter, who was last seen playing with Beatrice. One of the maids told him that she had seen Greta somewhere in the castle and he rushed out of the ballroom. Turning a corner, he soon found his daughter giggling with a light brown-haired girl as they gazed upon the bright yellow moon.

"Greta," he called out. He watched as his daughter turned and her eyes drooped a little at the prospect of having to go to bed.

"Just a while more?" his daughter pleaded, her chocolate eyes glittering. The other girl nodded but he shook his head firmly.

"It's already late," he said as he held out a hand towards the small girl. She made a disappointed sound but grasped his hand instead. Turning around, he began to lead the two girls back to the ballroom where he deposited the light brown-haired girl to her father. Once inside her room, he sat down on her bed and tucked the little girl who snuggled deeper into her sheets while trying to stifle a yawn. Giving an approving nod, he stood up and began to walk out of the room.

* * *

He walked back into ballroom and began to scan the area for the dark-haired boy but was unable to locate him. Spying his eldest brother nearby, he walked towards the grey-haired man who silently stared at his glass.

"Gwendel, have you seen Yuuri anywhere?" he asked, his emerald green eyes scanning the area at the same time.

"Try the courtyard," his brother curtly said before he finished his glass. Thanking him, he once again walked out of the ballroom.

* * *

He could hear murmurs coming from the garden and thought of asking the people there about the whereabouts of the young Maou. But a distinctively familiar voice stopped him in his tracks just before he turned a corner.

"It's such a pity though. It was quite a shock for the people to hear that the great Maou would have to marry one of his knights instead of one of ladies. Such a shame."

"What can I do? I had no clue that slapping was a marriage proposal."

"Pity. You should have slapped me instead of him." He could several of the ladies let out giggles.

"What's done is done. It's bad enough that I've made that mistake. It'd be disastrous if I were to actually marry him."

Several locks of his hair slid forward, hiding his features and his expression. Numbness flowed through his body as the words kept repeating themselves endlessly in his mind and pain-streaked heart. Suddenly, he heard the two of them moving closer to where he was. Fearful that he would be caught for eavesdropping, he quickly snapped himself back to reality and walked away without making a sound.

* * *

He had no clue where he was running towards to, but after a few turns and stair-climbings, he realized that he was heading back to their room. His heart pounded furiously against his ribcage, threatening to burst out, as he stood motionless in front of the closed door. Part of him wished to enter the room but another part desperately wanted him to hide and stay hidden forever. Finally, after a few long tensed minutes of silence, he strode towards the door and walked in. Few quick minutes later, he was out again, his arms full of his clothes.

* * *

In the midst of the night, a lone shadowy figure hurriedly made its way towards the stable. The moon shifted and moonlight shone upon its commoner's clothes, making it murky green. The figure's golden hair shone and gleamed under the moonlight before he disappeared into the stable. Minutes later, he led one of the horses out by the reins. The animal was not his own white stallion, instead it was an unknown chocolate mare that was docile enough for him to mount on. Fortunately, no one was on duty that night and he was able to slip past out of the castle.

As soon as he was near the gate, he reined in the mare and turned to look back at the castle. His emerald green eyes were dark and murky with unsuppressed emotions and one would have thought that he would turn coward and return back to the castle. Instead, he closed his eyes wistfully and turned to face the front once again. With a quick whip of the reins, he galloped out of the castle without looking back.

A shadow moved away from one of the opened windows of the castle, its brown hair shining under the moonlight. Its dark brown eyes held concern and sympathy for the lone rider but the figure did nothing, except to stare at the rider's fleeting back.

* * *

He stifled a yawn as he nodded in acknowledgement as the nobles walked past him. Gunter, his light purple-haired advisor, was beside him while he attended to the people who were getting ready to return back to their homes. His dark eyes spied the faces of the people and his subjects.

"Gunter, where is Wolfram?" he asked thoughtfully when he realized that he had not seen his partner. Gunter looked back at him, his purple eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"Unfortunately, I'm not entirely sure where he is. The last I saw him was when he was looking for Greta," the purple-haired man said.

"I see," he said as he turned to walk out of the room once the last of the nobles was gone. "Well then, I'll go and take a look at Greta first before resting for the night," he threw his words over his shoulder at the advisor who nodded back at him.

* * *

He walked along the dark hallway, the moonlight was the only source of light around. The nightly scent of the air was calming and soothing but his mind was miles away.

"I wonder where Wolfram is right now," he muttered. "I didn't see him in the ballroom and Greta said that he was going back to ballroom after tucking her in," he said. His daughter had informed him that after tucking her in, his golden-haired father had intended to return back to the ballroom. During that time, he was busy entertaining the guests. Especially the ladies whom he escorted to the garden for a refreshing breather.

"Maybe he's already in the room, fast asleep," he said thoughtfully. Just then, he saw that he had already reached his room. He walked into his room, to find that the room was shrouded in darkness. He walked towards the full-length window and pulled aside the curtains, allowing moonlight to stream inside. He smiled upon seeing the brightly shining moon. Wolfram would appreciate this, even though he was already fast asleep. He stretched his arms straight up and yawned softly lest he would wake up the golden-haired boy. Already an image of the boy in his usual nightgown, snuggled under the sheets, appeared in his mind. He, himself, intended to snuggled against the boy, despite knowing fully that he would be on the floor once again. But as he turned around, his eyes widened with shocking revelation to find there was no golden-haired boy in his bed. Only a piece of paper lay softly atop the soft pillows.

* * *


	2. The Power of Persuasion

**_Wow, didn't expect this story to have you guys reviewing this fast! But thanks for the reviews! Well then, hope you like this chapter. Did this in like about a few hours or so. _**

_**Summary: **Decisions are made and now the cruel trials of love starts as both the Maou and Wolfram try to find their way back to each other. Will love finally blossom between them? Or is it just a one-sided affair?__

* * *

_

_Yuuri,_

_Do you remember the time we spent together? I was always accusing you of something that you had not even done. I've called you a wimp and a cheater, to name a few. But right now, it would seem that I'm the wimp here._

_Tonight, I overheard you in the garden. The words you said were cruel and, yet, so true. Who could accept us? Accept our marriage? We've prolonged the inevitable and you've pretended that our engagement, no, our meeting together, was nothing more than just a mere greeting. _

_But during the time we spent, the time that you treated me as one of your friends, I've realized that the love I've had for the Maou was much deeper. I've wanted to be more than just your loyal subject. Much, much more. I've wanted to be different than the rest. That is why I've taken to calling you by your name, instead of the title "Your Majesty". But it made no difference to you. _

_I've come to realize that we can never be together. And in my heart, although it's painful for me, I've come to accept that. So now, I'm giving the great Maou a chance at real love. At the very least, you'll have a real marriage and Greta would finally have her wish of a real family. _

_Someday, I might return back to you. I'm not sure when, it might be days, months or even years. But someday, I will surely return and will be your loyal subject once again. Nothing more. So till that time, I sincerely hope that you'll be all right without me to protect you all the time. Afterall, a wimp will always be a wimp. _

_Wolfram _

* * *

The moon shone bright and yellow against the dark canvas of the sky. The moonlight softly cast shadows upon the small village that slept silently under the ever-watchful moon. He rested his head against the frame of the window as he sat upon the windowsill, totally at peace. For a moment, all of his problems seemed to flew out of the window upon gazing at the serenely silent moon. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath of the night air. An image of a certain dark-haired boy flashed in his mind, bringing forth a fresh new batch of stinging pain stabbing through his heart. He sighed as he opened his eyes, the emerald green of his eyes were startling. With his head still resting gently against the window frame, several locks of his hair fell forward, hiding his features from sight. 

"When will you be going back?" a voice called out, startling him slightly. Without turning, he knew that Adelbert was behind – a few distance from him. The silence around them was thick like a mist.

"To love someone is to set them free," he suddenly whispered. At that moment, he raised his head back to gaze upon the moon, his golden locks still hiding his features. "Angels of destiny will decide your fate. If you are meant to be, they will be there to guide your lost love back to you. But -"

He turned to face the golden-haired rebel, mildly shocked to find his brother standing beside the man. Conrad was gazing upon him, concern in his brown eyes. "Until this heartache passes by," he replied, a soft sad smile played on his lips. And with that, he turned around once again.

* * *

"He'd not return back," Adelbert said as he watched his old friend closed the door. Conrad turned and nodded in agreement. His brown eyes were dark as he thought of the pain his younger brother was suffering. He'd once felt that way before but time eased the pain away. And it had been a very long time. 

"It's all right. They need time away from each other. So I'll be entrusting my brother's life to you for now," he said, smiling at his golden-haired friend.

"How did it come to this?" Adelbert coughed in an attempt to change the subject. His smile disappeared as a frown appeared. The brown-haired man did not replied him as he turned to walk away. His friend watched him walked before he followed after. Quiet silence accompanied them as they made their way out to where a lone chocolate stallion was.

"So how did he take it?"

* * *

Many days had passed and not once did he ever let go of the frail letter. Time and time again, he would read its contents. Time and time again, he could not believe, no, would not believe the shocking meaning it beheld. After finally reaching the end of the letter which he had already memorized, did he finally look away from the worn-out paper. His dark eyes were darker with emotions as he let the paper slip away from his hand. His eyes scanned the lonely room, expecting that golden head would suddenly peek out of the sheets. But nothing was in his big bed for two. 

"Only for one now," he thought as he stood up. Bending down, he picked up the letter and folded it before slipping it in his shirt pocket. Suddenly, a knock on the door startled him. He heard the door opened and turned expectantly. His eyes held disappointment when he found that it was only Gunter and Conrad.

"Your Majesty," the lilac-haired advisor called out. He turned away from them, without acknowledging, and watched his daughter picked the flowers from the garden. From his view, he could see that her shoulders were slumped in a dejected manner but she still kept on going. He knew how much Greta missed her father; missed his complains, his rudeness and his care. He closed his eyes.

"Your Majesty," he then heard Gunter called out again, this time a little closer now. "I know it's hard for you but everyone is worried about you. There is still the matter of gaining the trust of the other nations and-"

"Yuuri," he now heard Conrad called out to him. Like before, he did not turn back. "What if I were to say that I know where Wolfram is?"

Hope now fluttered back into his body as he straightened himself up and turned around. "Where?" he said in a near-shout. But his guardian shook his head.

"Do you love him?"

The innocent, yet difficult, question rang through the whole room as Yuuri stopped short.

"Conrad-" Gunter started but was cut short by the brown-haired knight.

"Do you love him, Your Majesty?"

"I-I," he started as he took a step back. A faint blush appeared in his cheeks while he stared wildly at Conrad. He could see Gunter looking at both of them in concern.

"A simple question requires a simple answer, Your Majesty."

He could feel the air around them turning tense as both of his subjects now looked at him with such intensity. Pressurized, he suddenly walked past the two of them and out of the room. Outside, he faintly saw Gwendel leaning against the wall beside the bedroom door as he walked away.

* * *

He could feel the hotness of the sun beating down his spine as he straightened himself up. Looking up at the clear blue sky, he ran a hand through his now black hair. Deep blue eyes scanned the sky as birds flew past. He could hear the villagers working hard around him in the fields. Suddenly, he felt a small tug at his shirt. Looking down, he found himself staring into a pair of caramel eyes. The small girl smiled up at him when suddenly, he was surrounded by the other village children. 

"Come play with us, Wolfe," she said. The others nodded in agreement.

"Take a rest, Wolfe. Go play with them," he then heard several of the villagers called out to him. He turned to face them and saw they smiled back at him while others nodded. He smiled back at them and nodded before turning back to the now squealing children whom he followed as they ran ahead of him.

From a far, Adelbert watched as the previous engaged golden-haired, no, black-haired Wolfram played with the human children.

* * *

Littered around him, he watched as the children slept peacefully under the huge tree that was shading them from the sun. With his back against the rough bark, he leaned his darkened head as he closed his eyes. Around him, he could hear the soft breezing wind while birds chirped and tittered. "It's peaceful," he whispered sleepily. He had never knew how life in a village could be this peaceful. Hazy with sleep, he opened his eyes and looked down upon the sleeping face of the little girl, Lily, who had her head on his lap. He smiled at her serene face and gently, began to stroke her silky hair. 

At that moment, he wondered about his own child. Was she behaving as she was supposed to be? Would she missed him? And what about Yuuri?

An image of the dark Maou appeared in his mind. Strangely, only mild pain streaked through his heart. But they were pain nonetheless. "I wonder how he is doing?" he whispered as he lifted his head slightly.

"Why don't you come and see for yourself?" a deep voice said out of nowhere. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched as his brother made his way towards him, stopping a few distance away. He noticed two bouquet of flowers were cradled in his arms; one was a small and dainty bunch while the other was huge. Silently, he closed his eyes as he listened to his brother softly walked to his side, careful not to disturb the children. "It's strange to find you surrounded with children. Human children, that is," he heard Conrad commented.

"Shut up," he whispered. That caused his brother to smile and laugh a little before settling to sit beside him. Silent minutes ticked by as both knights gazed upon the perfect scenery before them.

"Everyone misses you," Conrad suddenly spoke out. Several of the children stirred before settling back to sleep. "Mother has been asking for you. Gwendel, in his own special way, as well. Greta's misbehaving, saying that only her father can discipline her."

"Is that so?" he replied with a question. The unspoken question burned at the tip of his tongue but he had his pride.

"He misses you as well," Conrad said with a sudden. He gave out a soft snort before closing his eyes again.

"When hell freezes over," he whispered.

"He really do miss you. This is from him," he heard some ruffling as Conrad deposited the bouquets onto his lap. Opening his eyes, he looked down at them. "The small one is from your daughter. Like I said, she wants her father back to reprimand her for picking the flowers."

He gazed upon the small bouquet, a small wistful smile played on his lips. His gaze averted to the other, this time, his mouth was grim. His other hand balled into a tight fist as he ached to touch the huge bouquet. But the words returned back and he looked away.

"Take it back. I don't want it. Tell him that he should go search for someone who really wants him. A woman preferably. He should just- just forget about me," he said with a soft sniff in his tone. His brother sighed as he picked the bouquet while standing up. As soon as the brown-haired knight stood up, Wolfram held the other bouquet and placed it on his side. Turning slightly, he gazed at his brother with heavy-lidded eyes. Emotions played in the dark swirls of blue of his eyes but Conrad could not distinguish them. "Please tell him that he's able to go and find a real woman to love him. And tell her to love him the way I did."

* * *

**_That letter is just the hardest thing for me to write. Words escaped me when I tried to write down Wolfram's feelings at that moment. But the story must go on! _**

_**Also, I just love what Wolfram said when he was being silent and distant! "To love someone is to set them free. Angels of destiny will decide your fate. If you are meant to be, they will be there to guide your lost love back to you." I actually wanted to add more but thought it would be cool to just let it end that way! This came from some inspiration after reading some the angst stories written by the more professional writers! **_

_- To love someone is to set them free. Destiny has a strange way of showing and angels will decide what your fate will be. If you are meant to be together, they wull guide you and return you back to whom you are meant to be with. If I can, I will defy destiny and be wrapped in your love for all time- _


	3. Emotions Revealed

**_Well then, here's the next chapter. And thanks for reviewing! _**

_- To love someone is to set them free. Destiny has a funny way of showing this. Angels will be the ones to decide your fate. If you are meant to be, they will guide your love back to you. But if I can, I would defy destiny and remained wrapped in your love for all eternity. But reality is cruel- (Wolfram von Bielefelt_

* * *

Dark expectant eyes watched the gates as he paced around the garden. His daughter who sat on one of the benches watched her father paced almost haphazardly while Murata sighed and shook his head beside her. 

"Sit down, Shibuya," he called out to the dark-haired boy who kept turning his head to stare at the gates. But Yuuri ignored him. "You're giving everyone a headache. Especially me," he muttered, lifting a hand up to his temples. Suddenly, the dark Maou perked up when the sound of hooves came thundering into the castle grounds. Without waiting for any of them, Yuuri sped towards the brown-haired knight who had just dismounted. Without turning to greet the knight, his eyes strayed on to the gates, hoping for another rider to appear. But no one came after the brown-haired knight.

"Your Majesty," he heard Conrad called out to him. Blankly, he turned to face the knight.

"Where is he?" he asked, his dark eyes searching Conrad's own brown eyes. The knight sighed and closed his eyes as he shook his head. At that answer, Yuuri could feel the numbness returning back to course wildly through his body. Suddenly, he gave out a shaky laugh. The others looked at him with a sudden, surprised to find the Maou laughing. "Your jokes aren't that funny anymore Conrad. Seriously, where is he? He's playing with me, right? I know sooner or later he'll come flying here screaming 'Wimp!'," he said with a wave of his hand. However, the brown-haired knight could only turn his head away. Something was thrust towards him with a sudden.

Numbly, he looked down to find the gift that he had Conrad delivering returned back to him. Eyes widened, he gazed upon the many flowers that he had personally picked in order for his fiancé to come and shout at him for picking them.

"He left a message for you, though," Conrad's voice suddenly penetrated through the hazy numbness that he was feeling. Slowly, he looked up at the knight. "'Wimp, don't look for me. Don't bother about me. You should go and find a nice woman who would be good for you and Greta. And if you did find her, tell her to take care of you.'" the knight quoted.

"But I don't want a mother!" Greta's small voice suddenly rang out through the courtyard. Everyone looked down at the small brown-haired girl who had tears gleaming in her chocolate eyes. Gunter quickly knelt down, trying to console the small princess. "I want Wolfram! I want him to tuck me in all the time! I want him to scold me; tell me what's right and what's wrong! I-I take back my stupid wish!"

* * *

He stared out of the window, his back against the stony texture of the wall. He gazed upon the clear blue sky where birds were flying past. A pair of skeleton legs were dangling directly above him and he knew that Kohi was there. He tried to lighten up his mood but somehow he found that it was such a difficult task. Looking away from the cheerful weather, he gaze upon lonely room once again. His eyes scanned the room; from the huge bed to the art tools that were left alone. 

During this time, he would be stuck in a still pose for that golden-haired boy. A faint image of him and Wolfram appeared at the canvas. Hazily, he could see the golden-haired knight scolding him for moving and he pinching his nose from the smell of the paint. He closed his eyes at the image.

"Wimp," a soft voice whispered in his ears. And at that moment, he opened his eyes with a sudden. His eyes were no longer clouded with uncertainty.

"I'm such an idiot," he whispered, eyes narrowing slightly. His face was set in a determined expression and he turned to walked out of the room. Just as soon as he was about to open the door, there was a bustling sound at the other end of the door. And the next thing he knew, he was on the floor; holding his nose as millions of pain streak through it.

"Your Majesty," he heard Gunter called out and, with a flourish motion, the lilac-haired advisor was beside him.

"I'm all right. It's nothing," he muttered. Thankfully,there was no major damage done and it seemed that his nose would survive.

"Your Majesty, I'm very sorry but-" Gunter started.

"Stop moping around," a curt voice called out from above. He turned and found Gwendel staring down at him with a steely gaze. He frowned as he straightened himself up.

""I'm not moping," he countered, his eyes never wavered from Gwendel's. "Not anymore."

* * *

She stared at the clear red liquid in the bottle and smiled. Satisfied, she straightened herself up and gently placed the bottle down. With her hands free, she stretched them high up before tugging on her long red hair. 

"Is that it?" a voice startled her. She turned around and found a shadowy figure amidst the darkness of her room. She smiled with her eyes closed.

"Yes. It's finally done. But are you sure you should be doing this? I mean what if it backfires?" she asked, her clear blue eyes turned serious. The figure waved a hand and walked into the light, brown hair gleaming under the light. His brown eyes had a certain gleam in them which she could not figure out.

"It'll be all right. After all, we are doing this for their sake."

* * *

He let out a tired sigh as he straightened himself up. Using his hand, he shaded his eyes from the sun and scanned the fields. Most of the villagers had retired back to their homes. He smiled at those who were passing by and nodded in acknowledgement. With another sigh, he combed his hand through his dark hair and straightened himself up. Above, the sky was reddish-orange as the sun began to set. Without wasting any time, he began to make his way back. 

"Wolfe!" a child-like voice called out to him. Startled, he looked up. For a moment, he saw Greta standing a few distance away from him, waving enthusiastically. Stunned, he blinked his eyes twice and the image faded to Lily. He closed his eyes and sighed again as he lifted a hand up to his chest, as though trying to ease his heart from beating so fast. Then, with a shook of his head, he looked up at the little girl. Smiling, he waved back and quickly made his way towards her. By now, her parents stood beside her, smiling, as he reached them. A small hand grasped his tightly as he looked down to smile at that heart-shaped face.

"Wolfe, come and have dinner with us," she said.

"But -" he started.

"It's all right. We'll love to have you for dinner. Besides, Lily won't take no for an answer. She's already think you're family," her father agreed. Lily's mother nodded.

"And we think the same way too," she said as she stood behind him. With gentle hands on his shoulder, Lily's mother began to steer him to their house while her father walked ahead as Lily tugged on his hand. Slightly propelled forward, he smiled at the gentle tenderness they were showing to him.

* * *

"I should be going now. Thank you for that lovely dinner," he thanked as he bowed slightly. 

"It's our pleasure. It's the least we can do since you've been playing with Lily and her friends, knowing how much trouble they can cause," Lily's mother said. He shook his head.

"It's no trouble at all. In fact, I've done this before," he said. The mother tilted her head slightly in question.

"Really? A sister? A brother perhaps?" At that, he smiled a nostalgic and wistful smile.

"You could say two of each. One tends to act like a kid at times while another just misbehaves," he said, his eyes ad taken on a dreamy look. "Anyway, thanks for the dinner. Oh, please tell Lily that I'll be happy to play with her and her friends again." With that said, he bowed slightly again and began to walk away. Behind, he could hear the door closed behind and only the sound of the night accompanied him back to Adelbert's house.

He strolled along the path, gazing upon the small houses that he passed by. If he had thought that life was peaceful in the day, then he had thought wrong. It was much, much, much homey at night. Ahead, he could see Adelbert's home and he began to quicken his pace. Suddenly, he stopped short just a few steps in front of the house. His eyes widened upon seeing the huge blanket of flowers lay upon the ground. Stunned, he could only gazed upon their beauty and realized that they were from the castle.

"Surprised aren't you?" Adelbert's voice penetrated his hazy thoughts. Numbly, he looked up at the golden-haired man who stood under the doorway. "I was surprised as well. When I got back, they were already there. You know, it's from him."

Several of his dark locks slipped forward, hiding his features once again. "It doesn't matter even if he did this. My decision remains as it was. Nothing he does or say can change that," he said as he walked forward. But, he lowered himself to the ground and began to pick each flower with such gentleness.

* * *

**_Nothing much to say here. Only that, the trials of love will begin very very soon and Yuuri's love will be put the test! Muahaha!_**

_- It doesn't matter what they say. It doesn't matter what they do to us. I've finally realized that without you, I'm only half of who I am. You are my courage, my light and my heart. To hell with destiny, to hell with the angels. I'll defy destiny. I'll defythe angels. No other love matters except for yours. For all eternity, I'll have you for myself. And this is what I decree - (Yuuri Shibuya)_


	4. Trials of Love Will Commence

_- I cannot return back to the way I was before I met you. Neither can I return to the times we've spent together. This is what destiny has for me. This is my fate. A life without you. Please, let me be. My heart has now been broken and it cannot be mended. But in due time, it will and we will find our own match. We are not meant to be. I've accepted this, it's hard but it has been decided. At the very least, I'll have fond memories of you to fall back on - (Wolfram von Bielefelt)_

* * *

The sound of the feather pen scribbling away surrounded the silent room as he read the documents in his hands, frowning. With a sigh, he leaned back and closed his eyes. Silence greeted him as he opened his eyes and scanned the room. His eyes slowly made their way to gaze upon a particular chair. Already, a faint image of Wolfram appeared seated in that chair, reading. The faint golden-haired boy turned his head and narrowed his emerald green eyes at him, stabbing pangs shot through his heart at the green gaze. Reluctantly, he averted his gaze away and concentrated upon an painting of him.

Seeing the painting, he smiled as he gently lay his cheek on his hand that was on the armrest of the chair. He watched the swirls of striking colors that was supposedly to be him. The smell of the paint still got to him but, now, he did not mind. The paintings were, however, the only things that Wolfram had left behind. Looking away, he chanced upon a small framed picture that was on his cluttered desk. A huge pile of documents obstructed his view of the frame and he frowned. With a swipe of a hand, the huge pile was pushed aside and he was able to fully see the frame. He gazed upon the shiny golden locks and the emerald green eyes.

Without realizing, his hand slowly made its way to gently touch the picture when a sudden knock of the door startled him. His hand jerked, causing the frame to fall forward.

"Your Majesty, I'm very sorry for the -" Conrad started. He stopped short when he saw the dark-haired Maou frowning up at him. With sharp observation, he noticed a small frame cradled in the young Maou's hands. "What is that?"

At Conrad's question, Yuuri looked down blankly and was hit with sudden numbness. A faint blush appeared on his cheeks as he whipped his head up with a sudden. "This?" he stammered. The brown-haired knight nodded as he secretly smiled.

"Is that happens to be-"

Yuuri shook his head almost instantly. But, he seemed to change his mind and sighed. Without saying a word, he placed the frame back on the desk. "Please don't tell your mother. Who knows what she'll do to me if she finds out that I took her picture of Wolfram."

"She'll be thrilled to know that you've finally admitted but my loyalty goes to the Maou," the knight promised as he made his way towards the young Maou. Yuuri nodded absent-mindedly, his gaze was still on the photo. Suddenly, the dark-haired boy seemed to perk up and glanced at the knight with hopeful eyes.

"So?" he asked. The knight sighed as he closed his eyes and shook his head.

"His answer is still the same," Conrad replied in a sympathetic voice. Crestfallen, Yuuri stood up and made his way to the window behind and sat on the windowsill.

"Is that so?" he asked, his voice soft as he wrapped his arms around his knees and lay his cheek upon the top of his hands.

Silent minutes ticked by as the brown-haired knight watched the dark Maou gazed outside the window. Then, with a sudden, Yuuri lifted his head. Suddenly, he turned to face the knight with a sudden hopefulness in his dark eyes.

* * *

Like before, he paced almost haphazardly in front of the stable. Dressed in his usual commoner's clothes, he stopped only to turn and paced again. His chocolate-lensed eyes were narrowed as his brow was set in a frown.

"Where is he?" he muttered.

"Your Majesty," Conrad's voice called out, causing him to stop abruptly. He turned and found the knight standing a few steps behind him.

"It's about time. We haven't got time to waste," he said, turning to enter the stable. Conrad sighed as the Maou disappeared into the stable.

"Conrad? Where is his Majesty?" he heard Gunter asked from behind.

"In there," he answered as he looked over his shoulder. He saw Gunter sitting upon his own horse while Murata was seated pillion behind Yozak. Gwendel, to his surprise, was following them. One of his soldiers came forward and handed over his horse's reins to him.

"Do you have it?" the reincarnated Great Sage asked, his glasses gleaming. Conrad nodded in answer. The black-haired Sage nodded and smiled enigmatically.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Gunter asked. Gwendel gave out a stifling snort.

"He deserves it," he curtly answered. Gunter glared at him to which the grey-haired knight ignored.

"Now, now. It'd be all right Gunter. No harm will be done to any of them," Murata replied with a cheeky grin. Gunter nodded in resignation while Yozak and Conrad smiled.

* * *

Trees whizzed past as he and the others galloped out of a dense forest. Already, he caught a glimpse of the next village looming closer with each gallop. Anxiety and anticipation coursed through his veins as he impatiently sped past Conrad and the others. Above, Kohi and another flying skeleton flew past them and he saw them landing swiftly onto one of the roofs of the village houses. Pulling the reins, his black horse came to a stop just a few distance away from a large field. His eyes scanned the area and he saw several of the villagers were hard at work of tending to the fields.

Cries of child-like laughter rang at his side and he turned his head slightly just as the others caught up with him. From far, he watched as lots of the village children played under a huge tree; a dark-haired boy chasing several of the children as they ran giggling away from him. For a moment, another faint image of Wolfram replaced the black-haired boy. He blinked twice and the image disappeared. "He would never allow himself to be surrounded by children. Much less human children," he muttered. Conrad, whose horse trotted to stand beside him, heard the soft mutter. He then smiled, an enigmatic smile that was particularly to no one.

* * *

The children laughed around him as he chased after them. Several of the villagers who were nearby smiled at them before returning back to the fields. One of the children, Alex, poked him at his leg and he turned. Setting a mock anger expression, he pretended to be outrage and chased after the squealing child. Suddenly, something caught his attention and he stopped short. The children, too, stopped running as they stared back at him with confusion in their eyes. Ignoring them, he walked a little out from under the shading tree and his eyes widened a little.

There, in the distant, a group of horsemen appeared just before the fields where the villagers were working. Lily came to stand beside him and gently tugged on his hand.

"Wolfe?" she called out as she looked up to see a stricken expression on his face. But he somehow did not hear her as his blue gaze fixed on a certain reddish-brown haired boy seated atop on a very familiar black horse.

He could hear his heart beating faster with each passing second. Panic coursed through his body as he took a step back. It was not true. He should not be here. Those were the thoughts that kept repeating themselves in his mind. Suddenly, through his dazed trance, he heard several of the children crying and Lily repeatedly calling out his name worriedly. Mentally, he shook his head and looked down at the children. He lowered himself to their level and began to soothe them.

"It's all right. I'm sorry for worrying you. I'm fine, see?" he consoled them as they ran into his embrace. From amidst the children's head, he watched as the group of horsemen made their way into the village. When the last of the horsemen disappeared behind several of the village house, did he finally turned his full attention to the children.

* * *

_- I don't care about what my destiny is. I'll not accept, no, I refuse to accept a destiny that does not have you in it. No matter how much the angels of destiny try to separate us, I'll always come back to you. Your heart may be broken and it cannot be mended. But I'll be the one who will revive your heart. A new love will be born; a stronger bond will be created. I'll scatter the broken pieces of your old heart in welcome of a new love. This I promise you. - (Yuuri Shibuya)_


	5. His Love Fnally Revealed Itself But

_- When I saw you standing there, I could not believe my eyes. A small voice inside me kept repeating that you've finally realized your feelings for me and had come to take me home, but, I reluctantly ignored that voice. I knew for sure that you would not do that. Not in a million years. I've reprimanded myself that you are here on an official visit, despite the clothing that you were wearing. I'll not take any chances in you finding me here and that is when my decision will never waver. (Wolfram von Bielefelt)_

* * *

Dismounting from his horse, he looked at the people who came to watch them. His eyes dropped a little when he could not find a particular golden head among them but he was not going to lose hope. As he glanced away, he found a pair of deep blue eyes staring at him intently from amidst the crowd. He narrowed his eyes slightly, not taking his eyes off the dark-haired boy. Something about the boy seemed familiar. He then took a step towards the boy when a hand clamped onto his shoulder. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Conrad smiled at him.

"Your Majesty, aren't we here to look at the village?" he heard the knight asked. Without replying, he looked back to where the black-haired boy was but he was nowhere to be seen. Sighing, he nodded and followed the rest.

* * *

He watched as Yuuri walked away with Conrad and the others before letting out a relieved breath. He could feel his heart beating fast and his whole body seemed to be on fire. Leaning his head back against the side of a village house, he gazed up at the sky as a hand crept up to his chest as though trying to still his heart.

"Just one more glance," he whispered, particularly to no one. But he knew that it would be too much of a risk to allow that. Then, slowly, he began to curse his pride. "I want to see him again," he muttered. But, once again, the words returned like an avenging angel. And he grew tired of listening to them.

"Talking to yourself?" a voice startled him, making him jumped a little. He whipped his head to the side to find the black-haired Sage standing there. His arms were crossed at chest-level while his glasses gleamed, preventing Wolfram from seeing his eyes. "So you're adjusting well to village life, Wolfram?" His eyes widened with shock to hear the Sage call out his name. Then, the black-haired Sage smiled an enigmatic smile.

"How did you -" he started.

"Conrad's told me. So you've been actually living here all this time," Murata commented as he walked towards the black-haired boy. "So when will you be coming back to the castle?"

At the mention of his former home, his eyes dropped a little and he looked away. "I'll not be coming back," he whispered.

"And why is that?"

Wolfram did not reply. Instead, his locks fell forward and he turned to walk past the other black-haired boy.

"He misses you." At the Sage's words, he stopped short. But, after a while, the previously golden-haired boy turned away and walked off.

* * *

Behind him, he heard the others talking but he ignored them as he gazed out of the window. Night has fallen, darkness covering everywhere. Suddenly, the front door to the house opened and he turned. His eyes widened with surprise to find the same black-haired boy standing under the doorway, looking as surprised as him. Once again, the sheer striking resemblance of the boy and Wolfram got to him. With a start, he jumped to his feet and made to take a step towards the boy when the village head walked towards the boy.

"You've finally return. Come, I like to introduce you to our guests," the man said as he gently steered the black-haired boy towards him. "This is His Majesty, the Maou." He watched as the boy glanced at him before turning his deep blue eyes away. The boy nodded in greeting before moving away from him.

"Your Majesty, how long would you be staying here?" he heard the village head queried. His eyes still followed the boy as he sat down on one of the chairs that were further from the rest.

"I haven't a clue to how long I would be staying. But I can say until I find what I've been looking for."

Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched as Yuuri chatted with the village head and he nearly sighed in relief for the lack of attention he was getting. He looked down at his plate and began to play with the food. Suddenly, he felt another tug on his shirtsleeve and he looked down to find a sleepy village head's son rubbing his eyes.

"Big brother, I can't sleep," he muttered sleepily, his head nodding off slightly. Wolfram smiled at the boy and stood up. As he stood up, he could feel every pair of eyes boring down at his back and at his side. Taking the child by the hand, he began to make his way into the room where he and the boy shared. Even as he walked, he could feel their eyes following them; especially Yuuri's.

* * *

He watched as the small child slept peacefully. Smiling, he gazed upon the child's face and wondered about his own child's well-being. Satisfied that the boy would be able to sleep on, he stood up and began to make his way towards the window. He stared as the stars twinkled and glittered around the huge full moon.

"The moon's beautiful, isn't it?" a voice startled him from behind. He turned around and found the Maou standing a few feet away from him. Likewise, his heart began to beat fast but his face showed no emotion. Silently thanking for the darkness in the room, he watched as Yuuri stood beside him and gazed upon the moon. After a while, he began to relax and turned to watch the moon as well. Minutes slowly ticked by as both stood beside each other, admiring the sacred dark night. "Destiny," he then heard a whisper from His Majesty.

"Your Majesty?" he asked, curious, and careful to mask his voice. The young Maou turned and smiled.

"Call me Yuuri. It was nothing. I was just thinking about my fate," the Maou said, his voice turned wistful as his eyes took a dreamy and faraway look.

"Your fate?" he asked, despite knowing fully well that Yuuri's fate had nothing to do with him now. A sharp pang of pain stabbed at his heart and he was surprised to feel the painful heartache once again. The reddish brown-haired boy nodded and turned; his back facing the window. "Your fate has been decided, hasn't it? You are the ruler of this country and there has been talks that you are now seeking a wife."

"A wife is it?" the Maou muttered, his eyes downcast as his dyed locks slipped forward. "Is that what Gunter and the others have been telling the people now?"

He did not answer the young king's question. That was what he had thought as he looked away. He had no right to answer that particular question. After all, he was no longer Yuuri's protector, subject and fiancé. He smiled bitterly at the painful reminder.

"You can say that my destiny has been confirmed and determined," he then heard the young king said. Hearing those words, he closed his eyes as he tried to regulate his breathing after shards of pain pierced through his heart. "But not after I've found what I'm looking for."

He re-opened his eyes and took a silent breath before looking up at the king beside him. "So the reason you've been visiting the villages in the country is not to inspect the conditions and well-being of the people?"

Yuuri shook his head and glanced up at the ceiling as he leaned back on his heels. His hands were placed on the windowsill and he balanced the weight of his body on them. "I am inspecting the villages. But at the same time, I'm searching for that special person that I'm to spent the rest of my life with."

"And have you found her? This is the last village stop in your inspection. And that is what I've heard from the village head."

The king turned to face Wolfram once again and smiled. Slowly, he shook his head. "Not yet. I've not found him. He is kind of good at disguising himself."

He sucked his breath slightly as his eyes widened with shock. He could feel his heart beating furiously against his ribcage and something burst from within him. "H-Him?"

The king nodded, unaware of deep blue eyes that were constantly staring at him from the side. "I've heard that it is not a rare thing to see couples like that. And I know how some of my people would not accept it, but I don't mind it. Just as long as he's happy and I'm happy. That's all it matters."

* * *

"I've heard that it is not a rare thing to see couples like that. And I know how some of my people would not accept it, but I don't mind it. Just as long as he's happy and I'm happy. That's all it matters," he said, a wistful smile played on his lips.

"Not really," he suddenly heard the black-haired boy replied with a sudden. He stopped short and turned to look at the boy whose black locks had hidden his features from Yuuri. "You might not mind that people would not accept the bond between you and that other person but – what if that person that you are looking for really cares for you? Cares enough to deprive himself of that one love that he had finallyfound, only to realize that he has to throw it away the next minute?"

* * *

_- When I told you my intentions of getting you back, I've thought that in that instant you would reveal yourself to me. But your words chased away my hope of ever holding you in my arms. I've not thought of the possibilites that you did not want to be found. All for my sake. When you told me that if your real intention of leaving is that you cared enough for me to experience life as a normal person, I was outrage. Without you by my side, my life will never be normal. It'll never be perfect. But it touched me deeply to hear you say that you really care. (Yuuri Shibuya)_

_Side Note: Erm, Yuuri's quote sounds a bit too cliche and simple, sorry bout that. I kind of rushed through his quote here, unlike the previous ones before. Sorry again._


	6. Memories Forgotten : : Fleeting Past

_**I've read some of the reviews regarding about this chapter and re-read the chapter. That was when I noticed and agreed with you guys that the effects of the potion was kind of fast. So, I've made little changes to that point. Plus, I've created a new chapter! So read on guys! By the way, thanks for the many reviews!

* * *

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Surreal Fate : Illusions of Love

Trials of Love 1 : Memories Forgotten Fleeting Past

_ It is not that I do not cherish the times we've spent together. It is just that I cherish them too much that it hurts inside. Every moment does not pass without my thinking of you. These memories are now the only ones left that are chaining me to you. I've once said that to love is to set free, but, I've not followed my own words. I still hold you dear in my heart, the memories are still fresh in my mind. But now, I know that I have no choice but to set you free. (Wolfram von Bielefelt)_

* * *

He was surprised to hear those words coming from the dark-haired boy and he was sure that his expression showed it all. Moments of surprised silence flew by as he continued to stare at the dark-haired boy. Then, he smiled as his dyed locks slipped forward once again. He pushed himself off the windowsill and walked a few steps away from the boy before stopping without turning. "What is your name?"

"Wolf-Wolfe Gyles," the boy whispered. He turned slightly to face the dark-haired boy, his smile widened a little. Even their names had some similarity.

"Wolf, " he called out. The boy looked up when being called. Something in those deep blue eyes of his caused his heart to stir. "Maybe you are right after all."

* * *

He watched as the young king exited the room, his eyes never left the king until the door was firmly closed. With a sigh, he turned and gazed out of the window; his back leaning against the window frame. "Yuuri," he whispered. Immersed in his thoughts, he did not hear the door opened and his elder brother walked in unannounced.

"You are determined not to return to him?" he suddenly heard his brother's deep voice behind him, startling him. Heart racing, he whipped around and found Conrad gazing at him seriously. His deep blue eyes hardened slightly before looking away. "Here," his brother sighed and he heard the sound of water sloshing. He turned and found the brown-haired knight held out a small potion bottle with clear red liquid in it.

"What is that?" he asked, his eyes alternately looked from the bottle to his brother's face.

"This is something that the His Highness had come up with. With this, your memories of His Majesty will fade away. No longer will you feel the burning pain of a heartache. Soon, your life as a knight will disappear and you'll finally be able to live a normal life," Conrad explained, his brown eyes observed how his younger brother looked at the potion bottle with great hesitancy. "This is what you wanted, wasn't it?" the brown-haired knight asked after a few silent minutes passed while his brother contemplated. Wolfram jumped with a slight sudden when his brother asked. His eyes never strayed from the bottle after that and his hands slowly rose to receive it.

Once received the potion, he cradled the bottle in his hands. Conrad watched how his brother's hands slightly trembled while his eyes were downcast. Once his purpose was done, Conrad turned to leave the room. "There is something that you should know. This potion. It will permanently takes away all memories of Yuuri. So I will suggest that you think about it," the brown-haired knight warned as he stood under the doorway. His brown eyes turned sad as he gazed at his younger brother who stood alone in the middle of the room. "But Wolfram, are you sure you would really want to do this? Think about how Greta would feel. How Yuuri would fe-"

"He does not have to know," Wolfram interrupted. "No one has to know. As for Greta," he started, a wistful smile played on his lips. "Please, do not try to stop me from going through with this. It doesn't matter what he said just now. I know in my heart that our destiny was never with each other. We are not meant to be. And this is the only way that I know for sure that everyone's life will return to normal. To when before Yuuri slapped me," he said. Conrad sighed and nodded understandingly. He turned and left the room. And as he closed the door behind him, no one saw how the previously golden-haired knight shivered while his eyes were filled with tears.

* * *

Gazing out at the fields, he smiled as he took a really deep breath of the freshly morning air. He watched as the villagers worked hard in the fields while the children lingered around, restless while their parents worked.

"Your Majesty," he heard Gunter called out. He turned and found the lilac-haired advisor standing behind him, his long hair flowing in the soft breeze.

"Gunter, good morning," he greeted with a smile. The advisor smiled in return and made his way to stand beside the king.

"Your Majesty, don't you think that it's time to return back to the castle. It has been four days now but we still have not find him. And yes, I do know the purpose of these inspections," Gunter said when the king glanced up at him. Yuuri returned his gaze back to the fields and watched a certain dark-haired boy hard at work.

"Do you think he's happy wherever he is?" the sudden question startled the advisor and caused him to turn and stare at the young Maou. He was stunned to find the king gazing out with a much serious expression.

"Why do you ask?"

The young Maou smiled, a very sad smile. The words that Wolfe had uttered kept ringing in his head. Gunter sighed and followed the king's direction of gaze. He watched as the dark-haired boy enthusiastically worked and how the village children surrounded him. He continued to watch as the children tugged on the boy's clothing, asking him to play with them. Finally, the boy relented and followed them.

"It is kind of hard to answer that. I am, after all, not Wolfram."

* * *

From a distance, Conrad watched the king watching Wolfram. "You know, they really do make a cute couple," he heard a voice behind him. Recognising the voice, the knight turned slightly to find the black-haired Sage greatly amused. "Even though he does not recognise him, Yuuri still feels the attraction to Wolfram," the Sage observed as the knight turned back to look at the king, the advisor and the dark-haired Wolfram, smiling.

"So do you think he will use it?"

But the knight did not answer the black-haired Sage and both continued to watch the scene played out before them.

* * *

Alone under the huge tree, he looked up at the darkening sky before turning his gaze down at the small delicate-looking potion bottle that was in his hand. His fingers tightened around the bottle when a sound caught his attention. He looked up and saw the king walking towards him.

"Hey there," he heard the other boy greeted. He gave a hesitant acknowledging nod as his hand tightened even more around the bottle.

"What are you doing here?" he asked when the dyed-haired boy stood beside him, looking up at the sky. Quickly, he lowered his hand so as not to let the other boy see the bottle.

"Just admiring the view," the other boy replied. Tentatively, he looked away from the young Maou and together, they watched the view before them. "Wolfe," he then heard Yuuri called out. Without looking at him, Wolfram made a sound. "About what you've said the night before. Maybe you are right. But maybe you are not. What I mean is I haven't given up on him yet. I'm still going to find him. No matter what it takes," the boy said. That made the black-haired boy glanced at him with a sudden. His eyes were widened with surprise for a while before returning back to normal.

He looked away as he walked ahead of the young Maou who was surprised. When he was a few distance away, he looked over his shoulder; his eyes were shining and sad.

"Wolfe?" Yuuri called out. Wolfram shook his head and lifted the bottle up to his face.

"He's not going to change his mind. Not after what he has heard during that night," the black-haired boy said without looking back at Yuuri.

"What? How did you kno-" he started. Suddenly, the young Maou gave out a sharp breath to which Wolfram smiled wistfully. "Don't tell me -"

He nodded. "That's right. I'm right here."

"Wo-Wolfram. You're here," Yuuri called out. Then, with a smile, he called out to the black-haired boy once again. "You're finally here. Don't you know? I've been looking for you."

Wolfram nodded but his eyes were still sad. "Yes, I do know. But I'm afraid I'll not be going back to the castle with you." Hearing those words, the king's smile faltered slightly.

"Why not?"

"I-I just can't."

"No! You can! Come on, we'll go home together," the king said. He held out hand towards the black-haired boy and walked towards him. Just when he was about a foot away from Wolfram, a stream of fire surrounded the black-haired boy; preventing Yuuri from getting any closer. "Wolfram! What – What are you doing?"

"Something that needs to be done. Take care of yourself, Yuuri."

And with that, he pulled the stopper out. With a swift hand movement, the clear red liquid potion ran down his throat.

* * *

Yuuri watched in suspended horror when Wolfe, no, Wolfram drank the unknown potion with a one swift motion. Countlessly, he tried to get nearer but was unable to. Somehow, Wolfram's fire was hotter and more powerful than ever. Unable to do anything, he watched helplessly as Wolfram finished the potion and the potion bottle was released with a soft thud to the floor. Within seconds later, Wolfram was on the ground and the circle of fire was diminished. Without waiting for the fire to be fully diminished, Yuuri ran through and knelt down beside the sleeping black-haired boy. His whole body trembled as his eyes darted from Wolfram's face to his feet; not knowing what to do.

"So he did drink the potion."

He heard his friend's voice behind and he swiftly turned around. Conrad and Gunter looked at him with sympathy in their eyes while Gwendel just looked away. Only his friend looked at him fully. A part of him wanted to ask the black-haired Sage on what the hell was going on, but another part wanted to get Wolfram back to safety as soon as possible. And that part won. Wasting no time, he gathered the motionless black-haired boy in his arms and stood up. Swiftly, he began to walk away from the others and back into the village.

* * *

His eyes never strayed from Wolfram's sleeping face while he paced about. He heard the others came into the room but he ignored them. His hands itched with the need to touch Wolfram but he suppressed that desire.

"Shibuya, don't worry so much. He'll wake up in about an hour or two," he heard his friend called out.

And just as he was about to retort that it had been several days now, he suddenly heard Wolfram stirring. Choosing to ignore his friend, he turned and found the boy blinking his eyes while struggling to sit upright. His hands moved on their own and helped the other boy sit.

"Wolf-Wolfram? Are you all right?"

The boy moaned slightly as he shook his head. "I'm all right," the boy replied as he turned to look at the dark Maou. His eyes were narrowed while his face was prettily scrunched up. "Who are you? Who is this Wolfram? More importantly, who am I?"

* * *

_ You may have forgotten about me, forgotten about the times we've had together. But I will be the one to return all your forgotten memories back to you. You may have done this willingly, but I know, that you did it out of love. And now, with that love, I will create our own destiny. I don't care if it will take me years to fulfill that promise. All I care is for you to see that I truly, indeed, love you. And that will be the definite sign for our future. (Yuuri Shibuya)_


	7. Not Part of the Plan : : It Cannot Be

_**Made some changes here as I've re-read it and thought that it was kind of a sudden to have Wolfram kdnapped. Hope now that it sounds a bit better. Once again, thanks for the reviews!** _

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* * *

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**Surreal Fate : Illusions of Love**

**Trials of Love 2 : Not Part of the Plan - It Cannot Be**

* * *

It felt like a bucket of frigid cold water had just been splashed onto his face. Numbness was returning back to course through his body while his eyes were as big as saucers, never leaving the boy's face. And all that he could do was look at the boy without saying anything. He watched the boy groaned as he cradled his head in his hands.

"What-what happened?" he heard him asked. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over them.

"You've knocked your head against something hard, Wolfe," he heard Conrad's voice behind. The others said nothing while Murata murmured in agreement.

"Wolfe? Is that- is that my name?" the boy asked, squinting his deep blue eyes up at the brown-haired knight; completely ignoring Yuuri.

"Yes. Your name is Wolfe Gyles, a subject of the great Maou."

All along he listened while his eyes watched Wolfram mouthed his name.

* * *

He looked out at the green scenery that was laid beautifully out ahead, feeling the peaceful silence residing inside him.

"How are you feeling, Wolfe?" he heard a deep voice called out to him from behind. Looking over his shoulder, he watched as Conrad trotted to stand beside his brown mare.

"Everything is still a blur but nothing permanent," he replied as he looked forward once again. Silently, both knights gazed upon the scenery. "Lord Weller, how is the Maou?" he asked with a sudden.

"Why do you ask?" the brown-haired knight queried, his brown eyes glanced over. The other knight shrugged.

"He seemed a little down last night after I awakened. So I thought that it was because of me that he's feeling that way," he replied, looking down slightly. A small frown was etched on his face.

"It has nothing to do with you. He's just a little upset that he hasn't found what he was looking for," the brown-haired knight replied with an enigmatic smile.

"What was he looking for?" he asked, glancing at his brother. But Conrad did not answer him, instead he led his horse around and began to make his way back to the village.

"I believe that you would have to ask His Majesty himself on that."

* * *

Listless and restless, he wandered around the village, oblivious to the villagers walking by. Spying a small rock, he kicked at it, his hands tucked in his pockets. "How did this happen?" he thought, stopping in his tracks. "Just when I've finally able to say it, he forgets about me. How is it possible that you don't remember me?"

"Your Majesty?" a familiar voice called out from behind. Hearing that voice, he whirled behind to find the now black-haired knight staring at him with a concerned look. "Are you all right, Your Majesty?"

He smiled and nodded, not trusting himself to speak. The boy let out a breath of relief before smiling back at the young Maou. Seeing that smile and that face caused his heart to beat even faster, but he willed himself to stay calm. "Wolfe, take a walk with me," he gestured, his tongue unfamiliar with the name. The boy nodded, a blush tainted his cheeks.

In company silence, both boys began to walk. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched as the other boy smiled at every villager and child that passed them. Seeing him now, Yuuri still could not believe that this was Wolfram, his ex-fiancé "No, he is still my fiancé," he thought with a shake of his head.

"Are you sure you're all right, Your Majesty?" he heard the boy queried again.

"Call me Yuuri," he called out. But the boy shook his head.

"It is not my place to call the Maou by his first name."

He sighed. This was definitely not like the former Wolfram at all.

"I heard that Your Majesty had lost something of great importance," the knight commented. He turned to look at the black-haired boy beside him. "Maybe I can be of an assistance in finding it?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. He watched as the knight's face fell and his shoulders slumped a little. "Thank you for offering but this is something that I have to find by myself."

With that said, he smiled, his heart at peace. "_Yes, this is something that only I can achieve. I'll make you regain your memories, even if it kills me._"

* * *

Knowing that everyone was fast asleep, he slowly tiptoed his way towards the door. Gently, he opened the door, entered and closed the door behind him with a soft click. He knew that he should not be doing this. But he just could not stop himself. There was no chance in life that he would let this slip through his fingers again.

Thankfully, his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness quickly and he shuffled his way towards the lone figure that was snuggled under the sheets. Spying a lone chair nearby, he grabbed it and placed it near the bed before sitting. Once seated, his eyes gazed upon the figure as he breathed softly and peacefully. In the past, his hair would be the only color in the darkness, shimmering under the moonlight. But now, his hair had turned dark and melted with the darkness.

His hand strayed up, his face growing closer to the other boy's soft-looking cheek. From that distance, he took in his scent while his hand grazed the boy's cheek. "Wolfram," he whispered, his breath tickled the other boy's ear. The other boy stirred slightly and he pulled back with a sudden. He nearly let out a sigh when the other boy returned back to sleep.

Dumbstruck, he watched as those soft lips gently opened and closed with each breath the boy took. The moon had no mercy as it shifted slightly and moonlight reflected upon those lips. Long minutes passed as he stood motionless, staring at those perfectly shaped lips. Somehow, he could hear the thundering of his heart in his ears and blood began to rush inside him. Something stirred inside him and he could no longer control the powerful emotion inside. His face grew closer to the other boy's face once again, lips hovered above lips. Within the room, the sound of the clock ticking away was the only source of sound. Soon, he could hear himself breathing slightly hard as he slowly ran his tongue over his lips. And as he did that, the tip of his tongue grazed the other boy's lips. Instantaneously, his hands that were loosely flat on the sheets, were now gripping them tightly. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. And as though on cue, the moon dipped and so did he.

* * *

The journey home was longer than he had expected. Unexpectedly, the path that they had taken was mysteriously blocked by a few huge fallen tree trunks. Having no choice, they had to take a detour which happened to be through the dense forest that they were in right now. Beside him, he saw the black-haired knight looking around. On his other side, Conrad was alert as well.

"Are you sure this is the only way back, Conrad?" he heard Gunter asked. The brown-haired knight nodded in reply.

"It's kind of strange that the path would be blocked in just a few days," Murata commented. "Let's just hope that we won't be jumped by a band of bandits."

Just as soon as the words left the Sage's mouth, dark figures appeared out of nowhere, blocking both their exit and the front. And they were not a pleasant sight to begin with.

* * *

His first instinct was to protect the Maou. Pulling the reins, his mare stepped back. Suddenly, one of the bandits flung himself onto Wolfram, causing him to lose control of his horse and falling to the ground. Spooked, the docile brown mare soon reared up on her hind legs before galloping away.

He watched as his horse ran, pain coursing through his whole body. He heard the others defending themselves and turned to find the king safely surrounded by the other knights. But the bandits proved to be cunning and soon, one after another, the knights were defeated, leaving the king all by himself. Struggling to stand up, his gaze stayed on the king who was wildly looking around, as though searching for someone.

"Wolfram! Where are you?" he heard the king called out amidst the confusion and wondered who this Wolfram was. He looked around and found his brothers, Gunter and Yozak fiercely trying to defend themselves from the large number of bandits.

"Lord Weller! The king!" he called out to the brown-haired knight but somehow, his words went unheard. Gritting his teeth, he lunged towards the bandit who took a sudden interest in the unprotected king. With incredible speed, he stood in the bandit's way. With quick thinking, he made a fiery circle around him and the king that held the bandits back. Turning around, he helped the king down from his stallion.

"Wolf-" Yuuri started to called out when the magical fire suddenly diminished. Startled by the sudden extinguish, both Wolfram and Yuuri turned to find a hooded figure standing with a few more of the bandits. Prodded by his sense of protectiveness, he pushed the king behind him, sheltering him with his own body as he glared at the enemies. "What are you doi-"

"Take him," the figure ordered, his deep voice seemed strangely familiar.

"Your Majesty, no matter what they do, do not ever move away from behind me," Wolfram whispered lest the others would hear them. His eyes watched warily as the bandits moved closer by the minute. With a sudden, long streams of fire shot towards the bandits, but mysteriously diminished without touching them. A shadow loomed over him and he suddenly doubled over, having being punched in the stomach.

"Wolfram!" he heard the king cried out from behind him. Still in the throes of his pain, he felt himself being hoisted up.

"Yo-our Majesty," he hoarsely called out before a sudden spell of numbness knocked him out.

* * *

He watched in horror as the black-haired knight dropped to the his knees, his arms went straight to his stomach. Feeling a sudden burst of anger, his eyes turned dark, despite his contacts, while his short dyed hair turned long and dark. Black energy cackled around him as he felt himself being taken over by the mixture of feelings of anger and love, his other self and the dark aura. But he wanted to be the one to bring down justice on these bandits and somehow, his wish was granted. Combined with the Maou's dark powers and energy, he tried to get to Wolfram and protect the black-haired knight.

But he suddenly slammed hard against an invisible barrier and was knocked back. Narrowing his darkened eyes, he stared at the hooded figure as he stood back and slammed his hands on the barrier, but to no vain. Trapped, he glared at a particular bandit who hoisted the knight up onto his shoulder and turned his back on the Maou.

"Wolfram!" he shouted and it seemed that the knight heard him. He watched as Wolfram painfully lifted his head up and pain-glazed blue eyes gazed upon the Maou.

"Yo-our Majesty."

Hearing the boy's weakened voice, he blasted out his energy but was still unable to break the barrier. Helplessly, he watched as Wolfram dropped his head back again, eyes closed. And just as soon as the intruders escaped, the barrier suddenly disappeared. Turning, he watched as the intruders escaped on horses. A black mist appeared and formed a long serpent-like creature, similar to his water serpents, behind him. Without warning, the serpent lunged towards the intruders, wrapped itself around the last man's torso before pulling back.

He felt the others moved to his side but he did not turn to them as his dark eyes were trained on the flying man before slamming hard on the ground. He heard the man groaned in pain but his mind were on the kidnapped knight. Standing formidably at the man's feet, he stared down before bending. His hand gripped hard on the man's neck, choking him, and watched as the man struggled, his hands clawed at the Maou's hand.

"Tell me. Where are you taking Wolfram?" he asked, his voice was dangerously low and suspiciously calm.

* * *

He had never seen Yuuri like this before. Neither had he seen the Maou acting this way before. The presence of passionate dark aura surrounded him, its presence enticing and frightening at the same time. Rooted to the ground, all he could do was watch as the dark Maou grabbed hold of the captured man high above the ground by his neck.

"Tell me. Where are you taking Wolfram?" the Maou asked, his voice was dangerously low and suspiciously calm. He watched as the man struggled to break free, his face turning slightly blue. Yuuri narrowed his eyes, his hand tightening slightly.

"Shibuya, you're going to kill the man," he intervened but his words fell on deaf ears. He heard Gunter gave out a gasp. "Shibuya, if you kill the man now, you'll never know where they're taking Wolfram."

This time, his words got through to the young king as he released his grip and the man dropped to the ground with a thud. In an instant, the tensed air dissipated while the overwhelming aura of the Maou disappeared without a trace. Yuuri's normal colouring returned and he teetered before crumbling to the ground. Unlike his previous transformation, the young king lifted his head up, the strain visible in his eyes.

"Tell me. What are you going to do to Wolfram?"

* * *

_Each time my eyes met yours, my heart breaks in two. You no longer call me by my name, instead, you are reserved and knight-like. Just like the others. But I still hold hope in my heart and so, my only wish is to keep you safe. Safe from all distractions and interferences of both men and women alike. I realized now that I have become like the former you. Worrying about whether you would stray from me. And from there, I've made a decision., to bring you back into the closed walls of the castle where no one would be able to steal you away from me but...Why am I so powerless, even though I am the Maou? Why can't I protect the hand that had been protecting me? Why is everyone trying to separate the two of us? Is this truly our destiny? (Yuuri Shibuya)_


	8. His Heart, A King's Determination

**_Oh man! Sorry for this late update. Tried to upload the chapter last night but somehow, my laptop screwed things up. Luckily, everything's okay now. Well then, on with the show and...thanks for the review!_**

* * *

**_Surreal Fate : Illusions of Love_**

**_Trials of Love : His Heart, A King's Determination_**

* * *

Unceremoniously, he dropped the black-haired knight with a thud. But the knight did not stir, the spell was that effective. Looming over, he watched as the knight breathed deeply. Lustrous dark hair curled on the cheek of the knight, effeminating the knight.

"What are you doing?"

A deep voice snapped him back to reality, startling slightly. Without looking back, he knew that it was the leader, the hooded figure himself.

"Get back to your duties. And do not let me see you here anymore," the voice was curt and abrupt, dismissing him entirely as the figure walked past him and kneeled before the black-haired knight.

He heard the other man hurried off but he could care less, his eyes skimmed over the knight.

"Such a pity that you're not the demon king. But still-" the figure grazed a finger on Wolfram's cheek. Even in his sleep, the black-haired knight frowned as he moved away from the offending hand. "You will do just fine. In fact, I believe he'll be overjoyed to have you instead."

The hooded figure straightened himself up, gazed down at the sleeping knight before walking out of the cabin.

* * *

It had been several days since his allegedly kidnap, days that he lived in this unknown castle. He sighed as he turned away from the window, observing the perfectly kept room. Suddenly, the room blurred and changed into a different one. On one side, art tools were left ignored while a huge master bed took the other side.

"_Would you hold still!_" a faint familiar voice came out of nowhere as two faint figures appeared near the art tools. One, he saw, was himself while the other was the dark-haired king.

"_But it stinks! Why should I be doing this? It's a fine day outside and I want to practise baseball, Wolfram."_

A sudden wave of dizziness overwhelmed him and he swayed slightly, a hand shot out to grip the windowsill.

"Wh-who is this Wol-Wolfram? Why do you people keep calling me Wolfram? I'm..I'm..Wolf-"

* * *

He stared out of the cabin window, his eyes not really seeing the scenery outside. Normally, he would be thrilled to be on a ship, just sailing away but he did not feel like himself nowadays. "_Not since Wolfram's been taken away_."

"Your Majesty, please try to relax. We'll be there soon." He heard Gunter assuring him and he knew he should be taking Gunter's advise but, without seeing that Wolfram was all right made him edgy.

He looked up at the sky, clear and blue, and wished that he could see Wolfram right now.

* * *

It was a while before he came to. A strange yet familiar face came to view and he frowned upon seeing the stranger gazing down at him with concern.

"Are you all right, love?" he heard the stranger asked, the tone dripping with sugary concern.

"I'm all right," he answered in a very soft monotonous voice as he slowly pushed himself upright and realized that he was in bed. A pair of hands shot out to help him. He could feel the chills running down his spine upon feeling the caressing way those hands were touching him and nearly trembled with the need to push him away. "Your Highness Julian, it's all right. I just had a slight dizzy spell." He forced a smile upon his face, hoping that would get the hands off him. But that made it worse.

"Oh my darling Wolfe, I was afraid of losing you." By then, King Julian had his arms wrapped around the black-haired knight's torso. Feeling the golden brown hair on his cheeks, the black-haired knight wished that the hair was dark as night instead of a lighter colour. An image of a particular dark-haired king appeared in his head and a sense of sadness washed over him.

"King Julian, may I ask a favour of you?" Closing his eyes, he heard the silence in the air as the young king pulled himself away.

"What is it?"

"I wish- I wish to go back to my homeland," he whispered as he looked at the king's surprised face. "It is not that I do not appreciate the hospitality that you've shown to me. I just-I just miss my family." _"And His Majesty._" Many thoughts of the Maou came to mind, as a result, he was unaware of the hand that was gently caressing his cheek. However, the sadness that was on his face did not go unnoticed by the young king.

"You miss him that much, don't you?" The question was asked in a whisper, as a result, the black-haired knight automatically nodded, unaware. "All right, Wolfe. I'll see what I can do." Upon hearing the king's sudden agreement, he snapped back to reality and smiled; his whole face practically lit up.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

* * *

Softly, he closed the door; aware of the hooded figure standing beside him. A frown replaced the gentle smile that he had on his face as he stared at the closed wooden door. Curtly, he turned to look at the figure. "See what you can about him. Make him a mindless zombie or something, I don't care! Just make sure he'll be with me always. No matter what."

"As you wish, Your Highness." The figure bowed as he listened to the young king stomped off with jealousy.

* * *

The room was in total darkness as the door slowly opened with a creak. A figure softly made his way towards the only occupant of the room, soft snores coming from him. Looking down, he watched as the occupant slept; the only source of colour was the sleeping occupant's nightgown.

Minutes ticked by as the figure stood motionless, watching him sleep. Finally, it moved and a hand was extended out; hovering slightly above his sleeping peaceful face. Like a light bulb slowly awakening, its hand glowed dimly. And so did his face. It was a few minutes long before both hand and face stopped glowing, and the figure slipped out of the room once again.

* * *

He scanned at the blurring faces around him as he walked past them, hoping to see the black-haired knight whom he had hoped was able to escape from the band of bandits but it apparently did not seem so. He had asked around; questioning if the villagers had seen a black-haired knight with deep blue eyes or if they had seen any suspicious characters around, but once again, neither of the villagers had any clue. Already he had gotten himself separated from the others, due to his fierce determination to find his amnesiac fiancé. Now, he had no clue on where he was or how he was going to return to the others.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he faintly spied a familiar-looking black head and quickly turned towards that direction. His heart soared upon seeing Wolfram there, though he was surrounded by uniformed knights. Wasting no time, he tried to get to the black-haired knight; pushing his way through. "Wolfram!" he called out when he saw the black-haired knight turning around and walked away; the group of uniformed guards following. But the drone of the crowd drained his voice, as such, the other knight did not hear.

* * *

Hiding behind a wall, he watched as Wolfram walked towards the huge castle ahead. A few minutes later, he trailed from behind. And just as soon as the black-haired knight entered the compound of the castle, he ran; hoping to catch up with the knight. But just as it happened, the group of guards noticed him and strained him. He struggled to break free; pulling and pushing but to no vain. "Wolfram!" he called out once again, but the black-haired knight did not turn back. "Wolfe!"

He watched as Wolfram stopped and slowly turned around, his now emerald green eyes somewhat blank. Yuuri faltered in his attempts to break free when the knight did nothing. It was almost as though Wolfram had not recognized him at all.

"What's going on here?" a voice rang out as the black-haired knight turned to reveal the newcomer. Pulling his gaze away from the knight, he watched as a young golden brown-haired man walked towards them.

"Your Highness." He heard his fiancé greeted the newcomer as a fond smile appeared on the knight's feminine face. The young man came to a stop beside Wolfram and, to his horror, fondly gave Wolfram a soft kiss. Numbed, he could only allow the soldiers to push him roughly down as both Wolfram and the other man walked towards him.

"Your Highness, we found an intruder who tried to harm Sir Wolfe." He heard one of the soldiers informed the golden brown-haired man. His eyes were stuck on the black-haired knight, trying to make eye contact with him.

* * *

He looked down at the kneeling reddish brown-haired man who seemed to stare at Wolfe intensely, chocolate brown eyes frowning slightly. Out of the corner of his eyes, he observed the nonchalant black-haired knight before kneeling down in front of the stranger. "So you must be the man Wolfe was thinking about. But that's too bad, he's mine now." It came out in a whisper and, in an instant, he stood up. With his back facing the captured Maou, he could feel those chocolate brown eyes staring at him instead. "Take him to the dungeon. I'll deal with him later."

* * *

Harsh breathing filled the air as a figure slipped away from his bed and unsteadyly walked towards the dresser. With hand gripping the side of the table, he made himself sat down. With a sudden, he stifled back a hiss of pain just as his hands shot up to grip his heart. Only when the pain had passed, did he finally loosened his grip on his chest. His breathing was still irregular as he lifted his head to stare at his reflection. Dull green eyes stared back him as limp black-gold locks plastered around his feminine face.

At that moment, his reflection changed to a stubborn-looking golden-haired boy dressed smartly in a blue uniform. And as sudden as it came, the image dissapeared and he found himself staring at his ragged-looking reflection. Another spasm of pain overwhelmed him and he, once again, clutched his heart. In the red haze of his pain, he found another image in the mirror. Only this time, it was the strange black-haired boy that was captured.

* * *

He was alone in this dark cell of a dungeon. With the moonlight as his source of light, he found himself surrounding by millions of bones but he was unable to move. Tiredly he lifted his head and stared at his hands cuffed high above his head. And that was when he heard the distinctive sound of footsteps. Staring ahead, he saw the dim glow of light from the side of his cell and his eyes widened with surprise to find the black-haired knight. He tried to call out the knight's name but he was too weak from the beating that the soldiers had put him through.

All he could do was stare at the knight as he unlocked the cellgates before entering. His eyes continued to watch as the knight walked and stood before him. Upclose and with the moonlight streaming down to shine on Wolfram, he found the knight's frowning green eyes still blank but only slightly. The sound of clanking rang through the empty cell as the lantern that the knight was previously carrying dropped with a sudden. His eyes now were trained on the fallen lantern, but the sound of a sword being pulled out caught his attention. And he found himself staring straight at the sharp end of a sword.

* * *

_Life seems to be playing a trick on me. When I thought I've lost you again, I found you again only to have you not remembering me again. And not only that you've totally forgotten about me and Shin Makoku, you seemed to be at ease with this King Julian. What is happening? Why is this happening to me? What can I do to make things right again? When will the day come when I can finally reveal everything that is in my heart and not pretend? (Yuuri Shibuya)_


	9. Author's Note

Author's Note: Don't worry, I'm still going to finish Surreal Fate. The next chapter is just taking a while. In the meantime, I'm thinking about creating a new fic about Kyou Kara and wondered how you guys feel about the new one. Let me know what you think about Stubborn Souls and I might put it up as soon as possible!

* * *

_** : Stubborn Souls - Fragrance of Love :**_

_A gentle breeze blew across the green land, ruffling several leaves that were in its path. In silence, he watched as the wind played with the leaves. Crossing his arms at chest-level, he wondered about his life and what he was going to do now. His green eyes were heavy-lidded as he pondered. It had been days since he exploded at a certain dark-haired boy and days since he last talked to him. _

_He tugged at his collar, loosening it slightly. With a sigh, he brushed a hand through his thick golden mane as he closed his eyes. He knew that he was not well, he could actually feel the blood rushing up to his cheeks but he assumed that it was because of the way he was feeling right now. And even though he was truly ill, his pride would not allow him to admit. Not to that idiot, for that matter. With another sigh, he turned around and exited the room. Maybe a practice duel and fresh air would do him some good._

* * *

_He made sure that no one saw him left the castle, only his trusted soldiers following from behind. With a quick whip of the reins, he urged his stallion to go a little faster and felt the wind brushing past his face. Tree after tree swept past as his horse galloped before he pulled in the reins, his horse stopping in an empty grassy field. He dismounted just as the others came to a stop behind him. Ignoring the rest, he walked a little more further away from them. His steps were a little slow and sluggish, his eyes had a slight glaze in them. It seemed that the ride had not done any good either, he could still feel blood rushing up to his face. _

_With a sudden stop in his tracks, he shook his head to clear his mind. That even made it worse. But once again, pride got in the way and he turned to gesture for his soldiers to come forth. Several of them looked at one another, for they knew that their captain was unwell but was just too stubborn to admit. But as they were trained soldiers, they knew not to question their captain's orders. _

_He selected a few from the group and they circled around him, their swords drawn. He, too, began to remove his sword from the sheath. With a curt nod, he watched as they ran towards him. _

_Soon, most of the soldiers were breathing hard. Especially him. By now, his soldiers could see that he was having difficulties breathing and keeping steady. His face was flushed while golden locks lay limp and wet against his reddened skin. _

"_Sir, maybe we should stop for a moment." but the quiet suggestion went unheard as their captain rushed forward towards them. But before he could reach them, his steps faltered and he stopped. It became harder for him to breathe and he placed a hand on his forehead, trying to steady his throbbing temple. His grip on the sword loosened before the sword dropped with a cushioned thud. _

_He could see his vision was getting blurry and doubled as he weakly lifted his head. But amidst the blurriness, he could still see the shock and concern etched on his soldiers' face as many rushed towards him. "Sir!" Many called out to him before his vision went dark._

_

* * *

__She could hear him taking short breaths, almost as though he had been sprinting. Her own green eyes were full of concern as she placed a wet towel upon his forehead, brushing aside the limp locks. Once her task was done, she sat back and felt a presence beside her. Turning slightly, she watched a little girl stared at him with intensely concerned chocolate brown eyes. Gently she placed hand over a small one and the girl looked up at her. She smiled, assuring the girl that her father would be all right. _

"_Gisela?" Immediately she stood up and turned. Another pair of brown eyes gazed upon her face, the concern was evident. _

"_A fever, Lord Weller." She confirmed her statement with a short nod._

"_So, Wolfram is going to be all right?" Hearing the small voice, she turned around and lowered herself. With a smile, she nodded. _

"_There's nothing to worry about. He is going to be fine after the fever passes. But he needs lots of rest. Do you think you can make sure of that, Greta?" The girl brightened slightly and gave a determined nod. With that, she straightened herself up and excused herself out of the room._

_

* * *

__He heard Gisela closed the door just as he moved towards the empty chair. Once settled, he watched Greta replacing the now hot towel with another wet one from the basin that was on the side table. He watched as Wolfram gave a weak smile as he slowly opened his eyes, still breathing hard._

"_Get better Wolfram. Gisela said to make sure that you get lots of rest. And I'm going to make sure that no one disturb you." He watched as Wolfram gingerly lifted his hand to give Greta's curly brown hair a ruffle. He then gave a short laugh and nodded before closing his eyes._

"_All right Greta. I'll be good and rest." It came out in a sleepy whisper before his breathing slowly regulate, an indication that he was asleep._

_

* * *

__Life should be this simple. Going to school, worrying about exams and playing baseball. But his life is anything but simple. Not only did he still have to worry about exams and school, his worries even doubled when he took the position of demon king. Not only that, he accidentally got himself engaged. To another male, for that matter. And not only was his fiancé a male, a very temperamental and jealous male at that. _

_With a sigh, he finished buttoning his shirt. Once done, he gave himself a quick look in the mirror before exiting his room. He saw his mother smiling at him as she gestured for him to eat his breakfast. _

"_So when will you be going back there?" The question seemed innocent enough that he gave her a skeptical glance. "Mama is just asking, not that Mama doesn't like having you back."_

_He hadn't thought about going back yet, not at the moment anyway. He had informed the others of his decision to stay here for a while before returning back to the demon country. The others had accepted his decision, though Gunter was a little teary about it. But only one was against it. Right now, though it had been many days, he could still somewhat hear that voice exploded out. "Not too sure yet. Until I've finished high school, probably."_

* * *

"_Conrad, I think we should tell His Majesty about Wolfram." Gunter walked in step beside him. He glanced at the purple-haired advisor but said nothing. "He is the king's fiancé after all."_

"_And how are we suppose to contact the king?" A deep voice resonated in the hall just as a tall dark-haired man appeared at the end. Glancing at his side, Conrad watched as Gunter's face reddened. _

"_We could ask Ulrike for instance." It was almost laughable to see both of them fight, an obvious sign of their growing attraction to one another. Gwendel let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head._

"_This is ridiculous. Wolfram is a knight, he'll be fine." _

"_It has been a week now and his fever is not dropping. As a Mazoku, he should be recovered by now." His older brother had no reply for the advisor's last statement and chose to let out a sound before walking away. The two of them were now alone in the hall. _

"_Gunter, let's give Wolfram another week to recover. I'm sure he wouldn't want the king to see him in his current condition." His eyes were trained on his brother's fleeting back as the dark-haired man disappeared around a corner before turning to look at the advisor. "His Majesty has his own future to worry about now."_

_

* * *

__He knew he had slipped in and out of consciousness for some time now, but had no idea that it had been a week since he collapsed. He knew he was not getting better, in fact, his condition was getting worse. He had listened to Gisela's worried voice when she explained to the others just as he regained consciousness._

"_Gisela, isn't there something you can do to bring down his fever?" He had heard his mother asked Gunter's daughter. He could hear the slight trembling in her voice and even in his flustered state, was proud that she did not break down. _

"_Mother, don't worry. I'll be fine. It's just a fever, it'll come down sooner or later." With whatever strength he had at the moment, he assured his mother who went to his side immediately. Opening his eyes, he saw her eyes glistened as well as Greta's. He tried to cheer his daughter with a smile, even though it was weak. "Just don't tell that wimp about this. He'll not let this pass." Once again it came out in a whisper just before he slipped out of consciousness again._

* * *

"_Conrad, would you consider it?" Gunter's question had everyone glancing at him. Two weeks had come and gone but his little brother's condition still remained as it was. By now, everyone was worried. They had tried all sorts of medicine in the kingdom but nothing helped. An urgent meeting had been called for and the decision had been made to transport Wolfram to the king's world to be sent to a place called a hospital that the king had once mentioned. _

"_No! You cannot tell that idiot about this!" The protest came from nowhere just as he was about to answer. Everyone looked behind him and he, too, looked over his shoulder. There, huffing with exhaustion, was Wolfram being supported by a concerned Gisela. His face was flushed and he looked weak, but his eyes were still clear. "I'll go to his world but no one is to breathe a word to him about it."_

_His green eyes flitted from everyone's to finally rest upon his brown ones. In silence, he gazed at his little brother before nodding. _

"_Then the decision is made. Conrad and I will accompany Wolfram to Earth. Ulrike will contact His Highness and informed him about the situation. With luck, we'll be back here before the king finds out." Gwendel's voice was firm and undeterred when Gunter was about to protest. He turned and walked towards Wolfram who seemed to be slipping from Gisela's grasp. With one quick swift movement, Conrad carried his brother and turned around. _

_He looked down and saw his brother having difficulties breathing again. Unconsciously, he tightened his grasp on the golden-haired knight before realizing it. "We'll leave as soon as preparations are complete." The moment the words left his lips, he turned and exited the room with Gisela and his mother following from behind.

* * *

_


	10. His Avenging Angel : : Passionate Anger

**Well then, here's the final third chapter! Don't worry, the last two chapters coming soon. In fact, I've already done the last chapter! Hope you guys like this chapter! Oh, don't forget to read the second Kyou Kara fic, Stubborn Souls!**

* * *

_Why is it that my heart keeps pounding so fiercely? What is this I'm feeling? When I see you beaten and down, the sudden urge to protect and destroy those that torture you so overwhelms me. (Wolfram von Bielefield)_

* * *

**_Surreal Fate - Illusions of Love_**

_- Trials of Love: His Avenging Angel -_

His eyes lifted to meet angry green ones, noticing the frown that marred the knight's feminine face. In that moment, he swore that he saw the old Wolfram lurking in those proud eyes.

"Who are you?" he heard the knight's whisper, but only barely. Silently, he gazed upon that face that had haunted him for days. With a sudden the tip of the blade dropped and pushed his chin, forcing him to lift his head a little higher. "Just who are you?"

This time, Wolfram's voice grew a little louder but he still kept silent. Silence grew between them, their positions still the same. Then, with some Wolfram-likeness, the knight frowned even more and raised his sword arm. Moonlight glinted off the sword blade and, with sudden movement, he brought down his sword arm. Instinctively, Yuuri closed his eyes but remained motionless.

Sound of metal being cut rang through the night as he re-opened his eyes to find the chains were cut off. Lowering his arms, he watched as Wolfram threw aside the sword and knelt before him.

"Why?" he heard Wolfram's voice turned slightly harsh in a whisper. The knight lifted his head and what he saw in those green eyes startled him slightly. Pained desire reflected intensely in those eyes. "Why is it that I can't stop thinking about you?"

His eyes were widened slightly before returning normal. With a hand rubbing his other wrist, he lowered his head. Reddish locks slipped forward, hiding his expression. His eyes were trained on the ground, unable to look at the knight any longer. Closing his eyes, he let out a soft sigh before lifting his head. "The reason why you can't stop thinking about me is that-"

"-I'm just someone who used to be close to you," he finished with a smile. "You might say a friend at times. I came here looking for you but I can see that you're perfectly fine and doing all right here. That puts my heart at ease." He knew that he was babbling but that was the only way to keep his emotions intact. Without hesitation, he slowly pulled himself up and painfully walked past the kneeling knight before stopping with a sudden. Ahead of him, the golden brown-haired king was standing motionless, his eyes frowning intensely.

* * *

He found himself turning around and saw Julian standing near the cellgates, his eyes intense with anger. Somehow or rather, he felt a tinge of protectiveness towards the black-haired boy but chose to remain motionless. Then, everything happened in a split second. The young king went up to the boy and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"He's already mine. No matter what you do, he will forever be mine. And I'll make sure it stays that way," he threatened as he shoved Yuuri into the waiting hands of a guard nearby before turning to walk away. Hearing the threat in the king's voice, Wolfram whipped his head back.

"Your Highness!" he called out just as he came to his feet. The king faltered before stopping in his tracks. "What are you going to do to him?"

"Making sure that he won't bother us again," came the answer before the king gave a curt nod to another guard. Acting on the king's instruction, a couple of the guards seized the knight by his arms. He struggled to get free but was unable to. "And you, my dear, won't be bothered by the likes of him again. I'll make sure of that."

"Whatever you're going to do, you'd better not harm him." He heard a soft yet deadly voice came from the captured boy whose eyes held a murderous glint. The sound of the king's heels tapped distinctively against the stone floor, the king roughly lifted his dark head up.

"You should not worry about him. He'll be fine once he permanently forgets about you. If I were you, I'd worry about my own safety."

* * *

He struggled to keep himself awake, struggled to keep breathing. He could feel shards of pain streaking down his body and knew that he looked like hell. But his mind and eyes were trained upon the black and golden-haired knight standing several feet away from him, the bodies of the guards slightly blocking his view. Even from that distance, he could see the slight frowning of the knight's face as he tried to break free from the grasp of the guards. The young king, standing near the knight, gave a look at the knight before turning his attention to him.

Then, a sudden appearance of a hooded figure caught his attention. It was the same figure that had taken Wolfram away from him. Then, the conversation between the knight and the king caught his attention.

"Please Your Highness. He has not done anything. Let him go and I'll forever stay by your side."

"No. That is a risk that I'm not willing to take."

"Then erase my memory for all I care! Without my memories, I'll only think of him as just someone I met in passing. Nothing more."

"Again, another risk that I'm not willing to take. What makes you think that your memories won't just suddenly return back? And by the sound of it, it seems that some of the memories are returning."

* * *

"Have you found them?" Murata asked as Gwendel and Gunter returned back to the inn, looking rather perplexed. In unison, both shook their heads and the Sage sighed. "Shibuya, you idiot. Running off on your own is not a good thing, especially when you're in a strange country."

The sound of the door broke his train of thoughts and Murata lifted his head to find Yozak breathless. "We've found them."

"Where!"

"In some castle nearby. Conrad's there right now."

* * *

Amidst the shadows that the leaves were creating, Conrad watched the scene before him played out. His hand unconsciously went to the hilt of his sword but he did not pull the sword out. Instead, he remained motionless as his eyes watched how his little brother tried to save the dark-haired Maou despite the amnesiac condition that he was in. When the right time came, he would react as a soldier but for now he would remain watchful.

* * *

"...some of the memories are returning." He heard the harsh tone that was embedded in the king's voice before it turned cajoling. "So just stay there, my sweet, while I tend to this pest first. Soon, everything will as it should be." With those words, the king gave a short nod to the guards and they resumed the 'punishment' again.

This was all strange to him; he had no recollection of the boy and yet, his heart seemed to cry out for him. Every pained cry that was uttered out nearly ripped his heart out. And the more he heard the sounds, the ache tripled even more. To the point that he could no longer take it. Streams of fire surrounded the whole lot of them, tearing the stunned guards away from the fallen boy. As soon as he was free, he evaded the others and made his way towards dark-haired boy.

"Yuuri."

* * *

The quiet was really deafening. He had never been a fan of the silence before and never would be. Stirring, he made himself sat up. Pain shot through his head and, instinctively, placed a hand on his temple as he winced. "What happened?" He glanced around and found himself back in his own room. "What am I doing back in Shin Makoku?"

He remembered that he went to get Wolfram back. He remembered being beaten by the guards and Wolfram looking at him with those eyes of his. And the last he remembered was long streams of fire protecting him.

_And a shadowy figure appeared in front of him, its emerald green eyes filled with anger and passion. Its thick golden hair bristled with anger and its whole frame trembled.

* * *

__Through my hazy vision, I see great streams of fire surrounding me, their warmth protecting me. Amidst the flames, I saw you standing before me. Though it still pains me to see those eyes staring at me without recognition, but my heart warms to see concern reflecting in those eyes. And as I look, you looked different. Almost like an ethereal angel. And avenging angel. (Yuuri Shibuya)_


	11. Speak My Name : : Say It Isn't So

**The second last instalment is up! I feel sad to end the story...but what can I do? I need to finish this so that I can concentrate on Stubborn Souls. Sigh. Anyway, thanks you guys for those great reviews. In a few days time, I'll post up the last chapter! Have fun!**

* * *

_I now realize that I've been a hassle to you, always getting into danger and you having to save me. So now, I've finally made a decision. I've decided to let you go. It hurts inside but I knew that this is for the best. I am grateful for the memory loss, at least you'll not feel the pain that I'm feeling inside. (Yuuri Shibuya)_

* * *

**_Surreal Fate - Illusions of Love_**

_Trials of Love : Speak My Name_

* * *

Slowly and softly he closed the door before turning around. With his back against the door, he looked around. How strange to be alone. He would have thought at least a soldier or two would be loitering around. But no one was around. Mild pain still streaked through his body as he slowly straightened himself up. Using the cane that he once used, he began to search for anyone.

The sound of the cane knocking against the stone floor echoed throughout the hallway, making him wince each time. Where is everyone? More importantly, where is he?

* * *

He wandered around the castle, his eyes flitting from one object to another. But no matter how much he tried, he could not seem to remember the place. The others had told him to take his time but he was impatient. Countless times he had spent, going through every room and every space. But nothing came to mind. It was as though he had never been inside the castle before. He even began to wonder if he really did lived here.

"...t_ake your time..._" He glanced around but no one was there. A sound caught his attention and he followed the direction from where it was coming from. "_...everything will reveal itself..just be strong and believe in yourself.._"

On and on, the words whispered to him in that familiar voice. He turned around a corner and stopped short. The same hooded figure stood before him, motionless as he stared. "You." With a start, he watched the figure disappeared into a room. Coming back to his senses, he followed after the figure only to find he was alone in the room. He looked around and found that he was now in the king's room. And the memories began to flood over him like waterfall.

"_Why can't you go and sleep in your own room? Don't you even have a room? Everytime I kick you out, you come back. And what's with that getup?"_

"_Yuuri! Are you flirting again! I swear, if i see you alone with someone other than me, I'm going to kill you!"_

"Yuuri". His voice echoed in his ear as locks of black and golden slipped forward. Turning around, he glanced at the room. A frown marred his face as he brushed a hand through his hair. "I'm going to kill him for putting me through all this." His voice was soft and threatening but nothing was compared to what he was feeling inside. With a soft sigh, he smiled. For he remembered what the king had told him when he pretended to be Wolfe. And what that other boy had gone through.

* * *

He sat alone in the courtyard, watching the blue sky. He watched a couple of Kohis flew by and he let out a sigh. Serene peace seemed to be around him but inside, he felt anything but peaceful. He knew what he had to do and truly, he wished there was any other way. But no other solution came to mind. "It's for the best." He kept re-assuring himself with that one pitiful excuse.

He knew he shouldn't have let his mouth run wild. He knew he shouldn't have pushed him away. And he knew he should have just told him how he felt in the beginning. But nothing can change what they had went through. Nothing can change how he felt now, even though it was too late.

"_...you could have him fall in love with you again..._" He knew he could do that but-

He looked up at the sky again, remembering the words Wolfram had told him before. _"You might not mind that people would not accept the bond between you and that other person but – what if that person that you are looking for really cares for you? Cares enough to deprive himself of that one love that he finally had found, only to realize that he has to throw it away the next minute?" _

Not everyone would accept them. Especially when he was Maou. "If only I could turn back time. Back to before I slapped him."

With another sigh, he grabbed hold of the cane and pulled himself to his feet. Once again, he returned back to his search. This time, in a more dejected manner.

* * *

From afar, he watched the king removed himself from the courtyard and entered the castle. His eyes were still trained on the fleeting back of the king before a movement caught his attention. He turned and found Wolfram entering the courtyard. A smile appeared on his face as his eyes observed the knight.

* * *

Where could that idiot be? Everyone that he had talked to seemed to be clueless to where Yuuri was. His daughter swore that her other father was in the courtyard. Taking her word, he made his way towards the courtyard but no one was there.

With a frustrated sigh, he haphazardly ruffled his thick hair. A frown appeared and he tried to control his impatience. "That idiot." The growl came from deep within his throat as he glared around.

"Have you tried His Majesty's room?" He turned around to find Conrad standing a few feet away from him.

"Greta said that he's here."

"Well, he was here. I saw him leaving the courtyard not too long ago. I think he's went back to his room." With a short nod of thanks, Wolfram abruptly walked past his brother.

"This time I'm really going to kill him."

Returning back to the room, he found himself alone. Just as he was about to explode, a sound caught his attention. Turning around, he found himself staring into a pair of dejectedly surprised dark eyes.

* * *

"Wolfr-" He coughed, trying to get his emotions intact. "Wolfe." He glanced up at the other boy, trying to gauge his reaction. But the knight just stood there, motionless. "I know you can't remember anything and you must be thinking what kind of idiot babbles to someone he doesn't know. But-" He stopped short as he walked past the knight who watched his every movement.

"I've been doing a little thinking of my own. It's kind of good that you can't remember, at least it makes it easier for me to say this. I've realized what a burden I am to you. Every single time I'm in trouble, you're always there to save me. It's either you or Conrad. When you risked your life for me, it finally hit me. I want to protect you. No, I have to protect you. That is why I'm dissolving the engagement."

His back was to the other boy, his eyes trained on the clear sky. Somehow, he could not bring himself to turn around. He ached all over, this pain that he was feeling was not physical. So this was what heartache really felt. "I know this sounds crazy. I mean how in the world did you get engaged to an idiot like me, right? Or rather, how did we end up engaged? I know this must be a lot for you to tak-"

"Idiot!" A hand pulled him around before a sound echoed. But all he could do was stare in surprise at a very angry teary Wolfram. He saw tears running down the boy's face but he made no move to wipe them off. In stunned silence, he watched as Wolfram turned while he lifted a hand to his left cheek.

* * *

Tears just wouldn't stop flowing. And he made no move to wipe them. Not when his heart is breaking into millions of pieces. "That idiot." He sniffed and finally wiped his tears before turning around.

"You're really an idiot! A worthless wimp of an idiot! It doesn't matter if I'm at risk or not, as long as you're not. Everything I did, it's all out of my own free will. I came here to tell you that I've regained all of my memories. I even remember what you said when I was pretending to be Wolfe. But I see that you think differently." Amidst his teary vision, he saw the king lifted a hand to his reddened cheek in shock.

"You want to dissolve the engagement? Fine! See if I care! See if I care." His cry turned soft as he hastily wiped away the fresh tears. "See if I care." Was all he could say. "I never did know why I waste all my time on you. Why I feel this way about you? You want to throw my heart away? Fine! Then, we're through!"

* * *

The memories came flooding back. Mingling with the new ones we've created. And that is when I knew that you really, truly love me. Now, I don't care if I don't hear the words. Because now, in my heart, I know that you do. But, destiny must be punishing me. I hear the words slipped from your lips but my heart wouldn't believe it. You push me away, saying it is for the best. For who? (Wolfram von Bielefield)


	12. Meant To Be : : Destiny's Final Lesson

**The very last instalment! The very last chance for Yuuri to prove his love! hope you guys enjoy this! Now, I can concentrate more on Stubborn Souls and my other neglected fics! Hope you like this last chapter!**_

* * *

_

_Why should I care about you? Why should I even be here? It's hard to tell your mind to stop loving someone if your heart still does. I wish I hadn't remember you at all. I wish I could just run away again and never come back. Back to the hurt and the heartache. All I wanted was for you to accept me. Accept my love. But it's hard. Tell me, how can you be friends with someone if everytime you look at them it makes you want them even more? (Wolfram von Bielefield)__

* * *

_

**_Surreal Fate : Illusions of Love_**

_Trials of Love - Destiny's Final Lesson_

_

* * *

_

_Impulsive. Reckless. _The very two words that best described him. _Stubborn._ From the window of his own room with his arms crossed, he watched the maids hurrying around. Preparing for the next ball. Why should he care? Much to his misery, his treacherous heart did. He dared not close his eyes, for fear of the images of the king and the many noble ladies. But it was too late. Already many of the images skimmed passed his mind, causing him to frown even more intensely. 

A knock on the door soon interrupted his thoughts, blissfully ending the many images. Looking away from the window, he found his brother entering his room before closing the door. "What do you want?" He looked away.

He knew he was being rude and childish but he couldn't help it. But Conrad gave no indication at all. "Wolfram, I came on His Majesty's request. He would like you to reconsider -"

"There's a few words that I'll like to say to him," he muttered under his breath. "I've already told Mother that I'm not going to that, that 'party'."

"Then, this is an order. His Majesty's." Silently he glared at his brother before turning away. Silence stretched before he turned around again. With a haughty snort, he flipped back a few of his black-gold locks.

"I'll go. As **_His_ _Majesty _**orders"

* * *

Another ball and once again, the feeling of envy and jealousy threatened to burst. His eyes followed the king's movements, the hand that rested gently on the woman's hip and the gentle smile that softened the young Maou's face. He noted the gentle blush the woman had and looked away. Alone and ignored, Wolfram rested his back against the pillar, a wineglass forgotten in his hand. With a sigh, he lowered his head, several black-yellow locks slipped forward. He watched as several feet twirled past him and wondered if he should really be here. 

This ball had nothing to do with him, or rather, he had nothing to do with the king's activities any longer. Just the thought of it deepened his treacherous feelings, a mixture of his love and his jealousy. A pair of boots came to view and he frowned at the sight. Lifting his head, he watched as Conrad smiled at him. "What?" he roughly asked. But that only made his brother's smile deepened.

"This isn't like you, Wolfram," his brother commented as he moved to stand beside the knight. A soft grunt emitted from the smaller knight but only that. Silently, the two stood beside each other, both watched the king and his dance partner.

"If this isn't like me, then tell me. What should I be like?" The sudden soft question did not startle the brown-haired knight, only causing him to smile even more.

"Be yourself, go after him," the knight advised his brother. Wolfram did not reply him immediately, his eyes turned to watch the other couples dancing.

"This is ridiculous." It came out in a whisper.

"No, it isn't," his brother disagreed. "But that is only my opinion." With that said, Conrad straightened himself, gave Wolfram a pat on the shoulder before walking away. And once again, he was left alone. Resting his head against the cold marble, he watched the chandelier and how the light twinkled; the sound of the music softly played in the background.

Suddenly, the music died and the sound of feet dancing stopped in an instant. Thinking that another dance would soon commence, he continued to look at the ceiling as he twirled the wineglass in his hand. Then, a sound of a pair of heels tapping was distinct and echoed throughout the whole ballroom. He heard the silence as conversation died down, unaware of the stares of the guests.

He was surprised to feel the wineglass gently pulled away from his grasp and he lowered his head to find the Maou staring at him intently. He watched as the king placed the glass on the empty tray of a passing waiter. It was then that he realized the guests were staring at the two of them, the women hiding their faces behind their fans. And he found Conrad smiling as he tipped his glass at him.

"Wolfram." He heard his name came from the young king and he turned. A soft smile played on the king's lips as a hand was held out to him. "Would you care to dance?"

His eyes widened at the sudden question, unable to believe it. A part of him was overjoyed at being asked but another was afraid, for he knew of the gossips that would come after.

"But -"

"It doesn't matter if people might talk. This is our time," the king assured the knight with another breathtaking smile. Several of his black-gold locks slipped forward, hiding his expression as he gently placed his hand firmly on the king's. He felt the king gently pulled him to the center of the ballroom, watched the happiness played on the king's face as the others made way for them. Standing alone with the king, he watched as his partner placed his hand on his shoulder, the king's hand rested on his hip. Their hands were palmed together before the king curled his around Wolfram's, gently tightened the hold.

The music began to play with a nod of the king's dark head and the two began to move. Seconds later, several couples came forward and began to dance as well. In the beginning, he was conscious of the stares that they were getting but he soon felt relaxed and at peace. As the king twirled them around, he looked over the dark Maou's shoulder. His brothers, Gunter, the Sage and even his mother looked at them with approval in their eyes. He watched as Conrad smiled and nodded.

"Wolfram." He once again heard his name came from the king and he turned to look at his partner. "This is what you've wanted on that night, wasn't it?"

"What are you talking about?" he stammered, a hint of blush on his cheeks. The king smiled and twirled them again. "This is all getting to your head. I wanted no such thing."

"It's no use trying to hide it from me. On that night, while I was dancing with one of the ladies, I saw you were practically seething with jealousy. I tried to stop, but you've already turned and joined the group of men behind you. So I decided that I'll ask you for the next dance." Hearing this, Wolfram's blush grew even more and it was difficult to meet the king's gaze. "But as it turned out, the ladies ambushed me and asked to see the garden. Having no choice, I was obliged to take them there. And as soon as we got to the garden, they started asking all these questions about us. And when you heard me say -"

"It doesn't matter now," he interrupted, not wanting to hear anymore. His eyes were downcast but he did not pull away. He felt the king tightened his grasp on him but said nothing. In due time, everything will be over and he would remained only just a knight to the king.

"No. I want you to listen," the king insisted as they came to a stop. "'What's done is done. It's bad enough that I've made that mistake. It'd be disastrous if I were to actually marry him.' That was what I said. But-" The king pushed his chin up, causing him to stare up at the Maou. "It'd be disastrous if I were to actually marry him. But I wouldn't mind. I wouldn't care what others might say because, deep down, I knew I was meant to be with him."

"I'm sorry that I said all those things. And I'm sorry for dissolving the engagement. I didn't know you've regained your memories. But I did meant it when I said it. I never want to see you cry again, see you put yourself at risk again. And all because of me. This time, for sure, I'll be stronger. Stronger so that you wouldn't have to go through all that again."

He could only stare at the king, his eyes widened with shock. Deep inside, he felt his heart racing before slowing. He could feel himself burst into millions as the feeling of happiness spread throughout his body. With a sudden, he grabbed hold of the king's lapels and pulled the startled king towards him. Startled gasps filled the room as the people watched the two of them locked together. The women fanned themselves profusely with their fans while the men murmured with one another, some pointing. Conrad smiled even more before turning to find his mother smiling. Cheri turned and smiled at her second child before nodding. Reluctantly he released the king as he pulled himself away.

It looked like the dark-haired king was about to speak but a gentle smile appeared. His gaze did not stray as the king turned to face the rest of the ballroom.

"As of today onwards, my heart is tied to my loyal subject who, despite losing his memories, risked his life to protect me. His brave courage is proof of his love to me and I gladly return the gesture. To those who look down on us, I no longer care what you would say. All that matter now is that he will forever be by my side, ruling alongside with me. And if he allows -" he allegedly announced as he turned to face the blushing knight. "I would like us to be wed as soon as possible. Before another catches my eyes. Besides, he gave his answer when he slapped me in return." A mischievous glint was in his dark eyes as he smiled at the now surprised Wolfram.

"Wimp," the knight countered but he smiled as he pulled the king towards him once again. All around them, the guests smiled and clapped; the women sighed at the sight while the men nodded at one another.

"Say my name." He heard the soft whisper against his lips. Tightening his grip, he smiled. Almost wickedly. The king murmured his request again.

"Yuuri." He finally whispered before pulling the king again. The roar of the applause was ringing in his ears, but all he could hear was the beating of their hearts. The very sound of Yuuri's love.

* * *

High above, among the clouds of heaven, several faint figures smiled at the image that was displayed before them; some sighed with contentment while others shook hands with one another, nodding with agreement. The hooded figure separated itself from the others, standing near to the image of the two boys before pulling down the hood.

"_Two hearts, once apart, was meant to be and now have become one. Destiny has a funny way of showing the way to those misguided. You might be the great Maou, powerful and fearful, but no one can escape the hands of fate. You are first and foremost a man, unable to reveal what was inside your heart. But you've conquered the fear and finally able to accept what warms your heart. _

She smiled down from the clouds, her unseeing eyes gazed upon the two. Wisps of her long blue hair billowed across her face, a hand lifted to hold back the straying locks as the others moved to stand around her. Their faint wings glittered under the moonlight. Finally Destiny, in the form of Lady Julia von Wincott, gave another smile before her angels wrapped their wings around her and faded away.

"_Nothing is comparable to love. Love is strong yet delicate. It can be broken. To truly love is to understand this. To be in love is to respect this. Love can make you happy but often times it hurts, but love is only special when you give it to who its worth. Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart. That is my final lesson to you."__

* * *

_

_Yes, finally I've learnt that nothing matters in love. Only you are the one I really care about. I've been foolish, careless in my words and the way I had been treating you. Never again will I ever make that grave mistake. I don't care about what my destiny is. I'll not accept, no, I refuse to accept a destiny that does not have you in it. I'll defy everything and everyone. I'll defy even myself, just to have you back with me. What the angels do not know is that our destiny has been foretold, written and sealed with a kiss. (Yuuri Shibuya)_


End file.
